Rocky Anderson on Immigration

Justice Party challenger for President; former mayor of Salt Lake City

Government and corporations have colluded on immigrant jobs

OBAMA: [Romney] called the Arizona law a model for the nation. Part of the Arizona law said that law enforcement officers could stop folks because they suspected maybe they looked like they might be undocumented workers and check their papers.

ANDERSON: We need to recognize that for decades our government and the corporate sector have acted in collusion, giving a wink and a nod to millions of people to come into this country without legal documentation so that they could fill jobs in certain
sectors of our economy. And we owe it to everyone involved never to make these people live in the shadows any longer. We need a compassionate approach, a reasonable approach, not one that calls for the deportation of
12 to 14 million people or to criminalize what they're doing. Those who have lived here legally, otherwise, other than under the immigration laws, need to be given a pathway toward permanent residency and, ultimately, citizenship.

Supports illegal immigrants earning citizenship

We need major overhaul of our immigration laws

We have proudly advocated on behalf of immigrants and their families -- and for a major overhaul of our immigration laws, recognizing that our federal government and corporate
community has, in actuality, invited and enticed undocumented workers to come to the
US to work at low-paying jobs and that we, as a nation, have a duty to recognize that fact and the great contributions made by immigrant workers by creating a path toward workers' permits and, eventually, citizenship.
That advocacy has resonated nation-wide, as reflected in the recent receipt of the LULAC Profile in Courage Award and the National Association of Hispanic Publications President's Award.

Source: Salt Lake Tribune, "Rocky Anderson's Speech"
, Jul 28, 2006

Vibrant workers are welcome; roundups are hypocrisy

Anderson said this week's roundup of workers, some of whom had access to highly secured areas, is the height of hypocrisy for the government, which essentially tells illegal workers to "play this little game with us" and then proceeds to prosecute them.

"They are working hard to take care of their families but with the implicit agreement with federal authorities that they will not be rounded up in the workplace," he said.

The rally in front of the City-County Building drew between 150 and
200 friends, family members and supporters of the 271 workers, 69 of whom were arrested. The majority in custody are Hispanic.

Anderson, who emphasized that "vibrant workers are welcome," said he doesn't
believe these workers should be made an example of and wants to make certain the practice doesn't spread. He encouraged donations to his office or Centro Civico Mexicano to be used to support the cause.